08:03 Tue 12-15-09 | by Andy Kent
There were Santa hats on top of their heads instead of football helmets inside the practice bubble this afternoon as 23 players from the Miami Dolphins brought Christmas joy to over 170 kids 10 days before the real Santa Claus arrives.
Once everybody made it inside from the warm, sunny South Florida weather, the fun part of the Fins and Kids Holiday Toy Event officially began and 90 minutes of non-stop music, dancing and gift giving ensued. And there were a lot of gifts, thanks to an incredible donation of over $37,000 raised by the players and coaches.
"I think it's tremendous, I really do," said Head Coach Tony Sparano, who watched on in amusement with his wife, Jeannette, and son, Tony. "I think one of the big things here and one of our missions is that we gave back, and I think that the organization stands for that, our team does, so it's exciting. Work is one thing, but being able to take some time to be able to do something like that is great and it's great to see kids smile."
Linebackers Akin Ayodele and Joey Porter ran the show before the final gift distribution as Ayodele served as emcee and Porter handled the play-by-play of the always popular dance contest. Kids of all ages from Miami Dade and Broward Public Schools along with children from foster care programs and additional charities lined up to compete on the "dance floor" for some special prizes that included a Nintendo Wii game set and new bicycles.
There also was a bounce house and inflatable slide for the kids to play on and then a raffle for some of the bigger ticket items before the kids lined up at different stations to collect their gifts and pose for pictures with the players or get their autographs. The Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders also were on hand, some dressed in Santa suits, and they seemed impressed with the dance moves being shown off, but in the end it was all about the kids.
"I really feed off of the kids' energy and I love being around kids," Ayodele said. "I'm a big kid at heart and for me, especially at this time of year, I have so many memories of when I was a child and so many times when I asked for stuff and I couldn't get it because we couldn't afford it. So to see their eyes light up and see a smile on their face because they actually got something that they wanted and actually got a present for Christmas, it brings joy to me. I just feel like giving at this time of year, whether it's my time or a donation or just speaking to them."
Ayodele and wide receiver Greg Camarillo shared the team's Man of the Year award last week so it was no surprise to see them in the middle of all of the fun. There were plenty of big bodies on hand as well, like offensive linemen Jake Long, Vernon Carey, Donald Thomas, Nate Garner, Lydon Murtha and Andrew Hartline and defensive linemen Ryan Baker, Jason Ferguson and Paul Soliai.
Camarillo truly gets it and embraced the opportunity to be a part of the event.
"Christmas time is about family, it's about fun and if you're a kid it's about getting presents," he said. "This is the community, this is our family and some of these kids might not get presents if it wasn't for this event, so it's great the Dolphins host it and it's wonderful that we can be here to see the smiles on their faces."
